Noncompressive undergarments

ABSTRACT

A noncompressive undergarment is configured to be donned by a wearer and worn underneath a garment to restrict direct contact between the wearer and the garment. The undergarment includes front and back undergarment panels each presenting a top margin extending along a neck opening of the undergarment. The undergarment includes opposite undergarment sleeves that are each connected to the undergarment panels and at least partly form respective shoulders of the undergarment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/955,751, filed Dec. 31, 2019, entitledNONCOMPRESSIVE UNDERGARMENTS, which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety herein.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to undergarments. Morespecifically, embodiments of the present invention concern anoncompressive undergarment configured to be donned by a wearer and wornunderneath another garment.

Discussion of Related Art

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that outer garments, such assweaters, having fabrics with coarse or otherwise abrasive fibers, areknown to be uncomfortable to wear. For instance, the use of such garmentfabrics is known to irritate the wearer's skin and may cause redness,itching, and general discomfort. Outer garments with such fabrics arealso known to be relatively bulky and prone to becoming bunched up,which may also cause discomfort.

Although prior art tee shirts, tank tops, and/or compressive shapewearmay be donned as an undergarment to protect the user, these conventionalundergarments have various deficiencies. The sleeves and bottom hem ofknown undergarments are generally too long and cause the sweater, orother outer garment, to bunch up and look bulky. Conventionalundergarments are generally unable to eliminate irritation and areuncomfortable to wear for long stretches of time. The underlayer seamsof existing undergarment products are typically visible through theouter garment. Conventional undergarments also interfere with the normallook, fit, and/or drape of the outer garment, particularly for v-neckouter garments, such that the outer garment is bulky, ill-fitting, anduncomfortable. Prior art undergarments are also known to undesirablycompress the bust area and interfere with separation of the bust.

This background discussion is intended to provide information related tothe present invention which is not necessarily prior art.

SUMMARY

The following brief summary is provided to indicate the nature of thesubject matter disclosed herein. While certain aspects of the presentinvention are described below, the summary is not intended to limit thescope of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a noncompressiveundergarment that does not suffer from the problems and limitations ofprior art undergarments, including those set forth above.

A first aspect of the present invention concerns a noncompressiveundergarment configured to be donned by a wearer and worn underneath agarment to restrict direct contact between the wearer and the garment.The undergarment broadly includes front and back undergarment panels andopposite undergarment sleeves. The front and back undergarment panelseach present a top margin extending along a neck opening of theundergarment. The undergarment sleeves are each connected to theundergarment panels and at least partly form respective shoulders of theundergarment. Each of the sleeves is connected along the top margin ofeach panel along respective raglan seams that end at spaced apartlocations along the neck opening so that the sleeve forms a raglansleeve.

A second aspect of the present invention concerns a noncompressiveundergarment configured to be donned by a wearer and worn underneath agarment to restrict direct contact between the wearer and the garment.The undergarment broadly includes front and back undergarment panelseach presenting a top margin extending along a neck opening of theundergarment. The undergarment presents opposite inner and outer garmentsurfaces. The panels include a fabric that forms the garment surfaces,with the fabric having an inner weave pattern associated with the innergarment surface and an outer weave pattern associated with the outergarment surface.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspectsand advantages of the present invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail belowwith reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective of a noncompressive undergarmentconstructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, with the undergarment being donned by a wearer;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the noncompressive undergarmentshown in FIG. 1, showing a front panel and sleeves of the undergarment;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the noncompressive undergarmentshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing a rear panel and sleeves of theundergarment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the noncompressive undergarmenttaken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective of the noncompressive undergarmentshown in FIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a front panel pattern used to cutmaterial for the front panel of the undergarment;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a rear panel pattern used to cutmaterial for the rear panel of the undergarment;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of a sleeve pattern used to cut materialfor the sleeve of the undergarment;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective of a noncompressive undergarmentconstructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, with the undergarment being donned by a wearer;

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the noncompressive undergarmentshown in FIG. 9, showing a front panel and sleeves of the undergarment;

FIG. 11 is a rear elevational view of the noncompressive undergarmentshown in FIGS. 9 and 10, showing a rear panel and sleeves of theundergarment;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of a noncompressive undergarmentconstructed in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, showing a front panel attached to a rear panel of theundergarment; and

FIG. 13 is a rear elevational view of the noncompressive undergarmentshown in FIG. 12, showing the rear panel of the undergarment.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. While the drawings do notnecessarily provide exact dimensions or tolerances for the illustratedcomponents or structures, the drawings, not including any purelyschematic drawings, are to scale with respect to the relationshipsbetween the components of the structures illustrated therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning initially to FIGS. 1-8, a noncompressive undergarment 20 isconfigured to be donned by a wearer and worn underneath an outer garmentto restrict direct contact between at least a portion of the wearer andthe garment. Embodiments of the invention are preferably configured sothat the undergarment 20 provides a barrier between the wearer's skinand the outer garment. For instance, the undergarment 20 may be wornover a brassiere and under a sweater or other garments made of abrasiveor skin-irritating fabrics or materials.

Although the undergarment 20 is preferably worn under an outer garment,for some aspects of the present invention the noncompressive garment maybe worn as a standalone shirt without an outer garment.

Within the scope of the present invention, embodiments of thenoncompressive undergarment are sized and configured to be form-fittingwhile being “noncompressive.” As used herein, this term means that theelasticity and fabric weave of the noncompressive undergarment is looseenough so as to not compress, reduce, squeeze, constrict, or shape thewearer's body. For instance, the noncompressive undergarment ispreferably not shapewear, compression underwear, or compressive thermalunderwear. Instead, “noncompressive” undergarments of the presentinvention mean that they are constructed to skim and glide over thewearer's body without tightness or compression.

For at least some aspects of the present invention, the undergarmentalso preferably does not comprise an article of clothing with a built-inbrassiere or other bust support (e.g., shelf bra). Embodiments of theundergarment are generally not configured and shaped to be worn under abrassiere. Rather, embodiments of the undergarment are constructed sothat the undergarment may be worn over a brassiere. At the same time,the undergarment preferably enables the outer garment to lay flat whilepreventing bunching and bulking of the outer garment.

Furthermore, embodiments of the undergarment are preferably notconfigured for medical purposes (e.g., where a garment presents adedicated closure or opening for facilitating medical treatment or othermedical care). Embodiments of the undergarment also are preferably notconfigured for breastfeeding of a baby.

The undergarment 20 preferably includes a front undergarment panel 22,back undergarment panel 24, and opposite sleeves 26. The panels 22,24and sleeves 26 cooperatively define a neck opening 28 of theundergarment 20. Undergarment 20 also presents opposite inner and outergarment surfaces 30,32. As explained below, the sleeves 26 andundergarment panels 22,24 are connected to cooperatively form respectiveshoulders 34 of the undergarment 20, where the shoulder 34 presents aseamless shoulder area.

The front and back undergarment panels 22,24 each present a top margin36, bottom margin 38, and upright side margins 40 (see FIGS. 1-3). Thetop margin 36 preferably includes an upper neck margin 42 and angledmargins 44. The top margin 36 extends along a neck opening 46 of theundergarment 20, with the upper neck margin 42 defining a correspondingpart of the neck opening 46.

The front undergarment panel 22 preferably includes a bust area 48extending laterally below the upper neck margin 42 and intersected by acircumferential bustline 50 of the undergarment 20. As will beexplained, a gathered or nching area 52 is centrally located in the bustarea 48 along a lateral direction. Additionally, the ruching area 52generally lies between opposed bust sections 54 and is configured tocreate separation in the bustline 50 between the bust sections 54.

As will be explained further, embodiments of the undergarment 20preferably include sleeves 26 having a raglan sleeve configuration thatdoes not typically align with shoulder seams of an outer garment. Eachsleeve presents a top margin 56, side margins 58, and a cuff margin 60.The top margin 36 preferably includes a curved neck margin 62 and angledmargins 64. The top margin 56 extends along the neck opening 46 of theundergarment 20, with the curved neck margin 42 defining part of theneck opening 46.

Turning to FIGS. 6-8, the undergarment panels 22,24 are preferablyformed from a fabric sheet (not shown) using respective front and backpanel patterns 66,68. In the usual manner, the panel patterns 66,68 areoverlaid with and temporarily attached to the fabric sheet to serve as atemplate for creating the respective panels 22,24. The panel patterns66,68 each preferably include a top edge 70, bottom edge 72, and sideedges 74. The edges 70,72,74 correspond to respective ones of the topmargin 36, bottom margin 38, and side margins 40 and provide a templatefor cutting the fabric edges to define those margins. Adjacent thelocations where top edge 70 meets the side edges 74 at upper panelcorners, front panel pattern 66 also includes lateral projections 75.The projections 75 are configured to form a correspondingly-shaped tabof fabric material in the front panel 22 for shaping the bust area 48.As depicted by width dimension W in FIG. 6, each of the depictedprojections 75 extends about one inch (1″) laterally beyond respectiveupper panel corners of the back panel pattern 68. The additional lateralwidth provided by the tabs of the front panel 22 permits the front panel22 to lay flat against the wearer, particularly along the bust area 48.The front panel pattern 66 also presents a slit opening 76 associatedwith the ruching area 52.

Similarly, the sleeves 26 are formed from a fabric sheet using a sleevepattern 77 (see FIG. 8). As with the panel patterns 66,68, the sleevepattern 77 is overlaid with and temporarily attached to the fabric sheetto serve as a template for creating the sleeves 26. The sleeve pattern77 preferably includes a top edge 78, side edges 80, and cuff edge 82.The edges 78,80,82 correspond to respective ones of the top margin 58,side margins 60, and cuff margin 62 and provide a template for cuttingthe fabric edges to define those margins.

A rotary blade fabric cutter (not shown) is preferably used to cut thefabric for the undergarment 20, although other types of fabric cuttingtools may be used. Preferably, the edges of the top margins 36 andbottom margins 38 associated with panels 22,24 are left unfinished, suchthat the edges are not formed or defined by a seam, fold, or hem, band,or similar feature. Similarly, the edges of the top margins 56 and thecuff margins 62 for each sleeve 26 are also left unfinished and notdefined by a seam, fold, or hem.

With the top margins 36 of the panels 22,24 and the top margins 56 ofthe sleeves being unfinished, the neck of the undergarment is preferablydevoid of a seam, hem, collar, or band that defines the neck opening.However, it is within the scope of at least some aspects of the presentinvention for the undergarment to have a seam, hem, collar, or band thatdefines the neck opening 28. Unfinished cuff margins 62 and bottommargins 38 are also preferably devoid of a seam, hem, or band, althoughthe cuff margins 62 and/or bottom margins 38 may have one or more ofsuch elements within the ambit of some aspects of the present invention.

The fabric material of the undergarment 20 is preferably selected tofacilitate an undergarment construction that is form-fitting while alsobeing noncompressive. At the same time, the undergarment fabric materialis also preferably selected with frictional properties to facilitateefficient donning and doffing of the outer garment while enabling theouter garment to lay smoothly and comfortably on the wearer's body, suchthat it will glide across the wearer's body as well as the outer garmentduring movement of the wearer (e.g., without bunching or snagging).Furthermore, the fabric material is configured so as to minimize thevisibility of the undergarment when worn under an outer garment.

It has been found that the use of a tricot fabric material isparticularly effective for achieving these and other performancefeatures of the undergarment. More preferably, the undergarment fabricincludes a tricot 4-way, stretch-knit, breathable Lycra®-type fabric.The tricot fabric also preferably comprises a bamboo-based fabric fiber.Various properties of the tricot material, such as the materialelasticity and fabric weave, are provided so that the undergarment isform-fitting, noncompressive, and comfortable to wear.

As mentioned above, the undergarment 20 presents the inner garmentsurface 30 for skin contact and the outer garment surface 32 for contactwith an outer garment donned over the undergarment. The inner and outergarment surfaces 30,32 are preferably configured so that the outergarment surface 32 comprises a relatively low-friction surface comparedto the inner garment surface 30. The tricot fabric is oriented such thatthe outer surface 32 presents an outer weave pattern that is more smoothor slick when compared to an inner weave pattern of the inner surface30. In other words, the outer surface 32 has relatively less surfacefriction compared to the inner surface. The relatively low-frictionouter surface 32 permits the outer garment to easily slide over the topof the undergarment 20. This important feature enables the outer garmentto lay flat and prevents bunching and bulking during motion of thewearer.

Fabric material of the undergarment 20 preferably has a weave or “grain”with a primary weave direction extending along the face of the material.Fabric material preferably stretches along the primary weave directionto a greater degree than along other directions that are off-axis to theprimary weave direction. Undergarment 20 is preferably constructed sothat the primary weave direction of the panels 22,24 extends laterally(i.e., side-to-side). As a result, the panels 22,24 will stretch to agreater degree in a lateral direction along the panel width and to alesser degree in a longitudinal direction along the panel length. Forsome aspects of the present invention, the primary weave direction maybe alternatively oriented for at least one of the panels 22,24.

Undergarment 20 is also preferably constructed so that the primary weavedirection of the sleeves 26 extends generally parallel to the long axisof the sleeve. With this orientation, the sleeves 26 will stretch to agreater degree in a longitudinal direction along the sleeve length(e.g., when the wearer bends their arm) and to a lesser degree in acircumferential direction about the sleeve circumference.

The undergarment 20 preferably includes seams that are provided tominimize the visibility of the undergarment when worn under an outergarment while also enabling the outer garment to lay comfortably on thewearer's body. The depicted undergarment 20 includes sleeve seams 84,side panel seams 86, and angled raglan seams 88.

Each sleeve 26 preferably has a sleeve seam 84 that attaches the sidemargins 58 to one another (see FIGS. 1-3). Upright side margins 40 ofthe front panel 22 are preferably attached to corresponding upright sidemargins 40 of the back panel 24 by side panel seams 86. As will beexplained, the side panel seams 86 preferably include gather areasextending below armpits of the undergarment 20. Angled side margins 44of the front and back panels 22,24 are preferably attached to thesleeves 26 by angled raglan seams 88.

Sleeve seams 84, side panel seams 86, and raglan seams 88 preferablycomprise single-thread lingerie seams. It has been determined that theuse of a single-thread seam is important for minimizing the visibilityof undergarment seams when the undergarment donned under the outergarment.

Sleeve seams 84, side panel seams 86, and raglan seams 88 are preferablysewn using an elastic stretch thread. The use of an elastic stretchthread has been found to prevent seams from snapping or popping,particularly when the undergarment is being donned or doffed. Thedepicted seams 84,86,88 are preferably serged seams (aka lingerie seamsor overlocking stitches) preferably formed by a serging machine (notshown).

In the illustrated embodiment, the sleeves 26 are connected to theundergarment panels 22,24 and are preferably configured as raglansleeves. That is, the shoulders 34 have a raglan sleeve configuration.Specifically, angled side margins 64 of the sleeves 26 are connectedalong the angled side margin 44 of respective front and back panels22,24 by corresponding raglan seams 88. The raglan seams 88 of eachsleeve 26 preferably end at spaced apart locations along the neckopening 28 and intersect at a location under the armpit.

As used herein, a raglan sleeve refers to a sleeve that forms at leastpart of a garment shoulder and extends up to the neck opening for thegarment. The depicted sleeve 26 preferably defines a corresponding partof the neck opening 28. However, for some aspects of the presentinvention, the undergarment may include a collar or other band thatdefines the neck opening. Embodiments of the undergarment preferablyhave a raglan sleeve configuration so that seams of the undergarment areprecluded from aligning with shoulder seams of the outer garment.

Various forms of outer garments may include a sleeve attached to therest of the garment with a shoulder seam that extends circumferentiallyalong the sleeve. In other words, the shoulder seam of the outer garmentextends over the top of the wearer's shoulder and below the wearer'sarmpit.

The depicted raglan seams are preferably precluded from overlapping andbeing coextensive with circumferential shoulder seams of an outergarment. The raglan seams are configured so that the undergarment isdevoid of any seams that attach the top end of the sleeve to the rest ofthe undergarment and pass over the wearer's shoulder to extend about acircumference of the sleeve. Thus, the depicted sleeves 26 are attachedand configured so that shoulders 34 of the undergarment 20 each have ashoulder area that is seamless. The seamless shoulder areas rest on topof the wearer's shoulders when the undergarment is donned.

Although the depicted sleeve shape and arrangement of raglan seams 88 ispreferred for providing a raglan sleeve configuration, the raglan sleevemay be alternatively configured (e.g., to provide a smooth, form-fittingundergarment). For instance, raglan seams may be alternatively shapedand/or alternatively positioned relative to one another (e.g., where theraglan seams attaching a sleeve are spaced closer to each other orfarther apart).

In various embodiments of the present invention, the noncompressiveundergarment may be sleeveless, ¾-sleeve, or long-sleeved. Forlong-sleeved embodiments of the undergarment, the sleeves preferablyhave a bracelet-length configuration so that the sleeves cover the fulllength of the arm of the wearer, but do not show from underneath theouter garment.

Embodiments of the noncompressive undergarment preferably present anundergarment length dimension D1 (see FIG. 3) such that the undergarmenthas a waist-length configuration. The undergarment length dimension D1is sized so that the bottom margin may skim the top of the wearer'spants and permit a belt to show without requiring the undergarment to betucked into the wearer's pants. However, for at least some aspects ofthe present invention, the undergarment may be configured with a shorteror longer undergarment length.

Undergarment panels 22,24 and sleeves 26 cooperatively form a v-neckmargin 90. The v-neck margin 90 defines the neck opening 28 and presentsa lowermost end 92 of the neck opening 28 (see FIG. 1). The lowermostend 92 and bustline 50 define a neck depth dimension D2 (see FIG. 2),which is measured transversely relative to the bustline 50. It will beappreciated that the neck depth may be raised or lowered relative to thebustline 50 without departing from the scope of the present invention(e.g., to correspondingly decrease or increase bustline separation). Aswill be shown in subsequent embodiments, the configuration of theundergarment neckline may be varied in other ways.

The illustrated v-neck arrangement has been advantageously found toproduce separation in the bustline between the bust sections 54. Thisseparation is in contrast to the undesirable bustline compression (andlack of bustline separation) associated with conventional tank tops,t-shirts, and shapewear tops.

The front undergarment panel 22 preferably includes a gathered orpleated ruching area 94 with laterally extending folds 96 (see FIGS.1-3). The ruching area 94 generally lies between opposed bust sections54 and is configured to create separation in the bustline 50 between thebust sections 54. In particular, the ruching area 94 is located belowthe v-neck margin 92 of the undergarment 20 and is centrally located inthe bust area 48 along a lateral direction.

Undergarment 20 preferably includes an elastic strip 98 attached to theinner garment surface 30 of the front undergarment panel 22. The elasticstrip 98 is attached via upright seam 100 to form the ruching area 94,with folds 96 extending laterally on opposite sides of the seam 100.

Elastic strip 98 has an unstretched elastic length dimension D3 (seeFIG. 4) that preferably ranges from about two inches (2″) to about fourinches (4″) and, more preferably, is about three inches (3″). However,the elastic strip may be alternatively configured to produce folds ofthe ruching area. For at least some aspects of the present invention,the undergarment may include structure other than the elastic strip toform the ruching area.

In the depicted embodiment, ruching area 94 is preferably spaced belowthe neck opening 28. However, it will be understood that the verticalspacing of the ruching area 94 relative to the neck opening 28 may belarger or smaller depending on the neck depth associated with the neckopening 28.

As noted above, the undergarment panels 22,24 are attached to oneanother along side panel seams 86. In the depicted embodiment, each sidepanel seam 86 preferably forms a gather area 102 with laterallyextending gather folds 104 in the front panel 22. Gather areas 102 areconfigured so that the fabric of the front panel 22 falls smoothly overthe wearer's stomach. Preferably, the gather folds 104 for each gatherarea 102 are formed in the front panel 22 and secured by an elasticstrip 106 and the side panel seams 86 (see FIG. 5). Each elastic strip106 is secured along the inner surface 30 by the elastic thread of therespective seam 86 and permits stretching of the gather area 102 whilepulling the gather in the seam. Preferably, elastic strip 106 extendsalong substantially the entire vertical length of the respective gatherarea 102 (see FIG. 5).

With gather folds 104 being provided in the front panel 22, the rearpanel 24 is preferably smooth and free of folds along the gather area102 (see FIG. 5). In other words, the depicted rear panel 24 is devoidof folds formed adjacent the gather folds 104.

Gather areas 102 are positioned directly under the wearer's armpit anddefine a gather length dimension D4 (see FIG. 2). Gather lengthdimension D4 preferably ranges from about two inches (2″) to about fourinches (4″) and, more preferably, is about three inches (3″). Gatherareas 102 are preferably vertically positioned so as to be at leastpartly overlapped with the ruching area 52 along a vertical direction.However, the gather areas 102 may be alternatively sized and/orpositioned within the scope of the present invention.

Turning to FIGS. 9-13, alternative embodiments of the present inventionare depicted. The remaining description will focus primarily on thedifferences of these alternative embodiments from the preferredembodiment described above.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an alternative noncompressive undergarment200 presents an alternative crisscross plunging neckline. Theundergarment 200 includes an alternative front undergarment panel 202, aback undergarment panel 204, and opposite sleeves 206. Panels 202,204and sleeves 206 cooperatively define a neck opening 208.

The front panel 202 preferably includes overlapping sections 210 shapedso that the neck opening 208 is defined by a v-neck margin 212. Inparticular, overlapping sections 210 cooperatively form a plungingcrisscross neckline and are attached to each other below a bustline 214(see FIG. 10). Sections 210 overlap each other along an overlapping area216. The neckline of the undergarment 200 is configured to maintainseparation along the bustline 214 so as to preserve the look of theouter garment when worn.

Preferably, undergarment 200 also includes a lower panel section 218joined to the overlapping sections 210 along an empire waist seam 220(see FIG. 10). The empire waist seam 220 is preferably located below thebustline 214.

Turning to FIG. 11, an alternative noncompressive undergarment 300having a crew neck configuration. The undergarment 300 includes analternative front undergarment panel 302, a back undergarment panel 304,and opposite sleeves 306. The front undergarment panel 302 preferablyincludes an alternative neck margin 310 that cooperates with the backpanel 304 and sleeves 306 to form the crew neck shape.

Although not depicted, front panel 302 of the undergarment 300 mayinclude a ruching area similar to the ruching area 52 of the firstembodiment. A ruching area may be located centrally in a bust area ofthe front panel 302 to provide separation between the bust sections.

Furthermore, the undergarment 300 may be configured to have gather areassimilar to gather areas 102 of the first embodiment. Such gather areasmay be located along the side panel seams, where the gather areaincludes laterally extending gather folds in the front panel 302.

Turning to FIGS. 12 and 13, an alternative noncompressive undergarment400 is provided in the form of a tank top shirt. Undergarment 400includes an alternative front undergarment panel 402 and an alternativeback undergarment panel 404, while being devoid of sleeves.

The front and back panels 402 preferably include an alternative neckmargin 410 that cooperatively form an alternatively shaped neck opening.Front and back panels also preferably present opposite arm openings 412.

Front panel 402 of the undergarment 400 preferably includes a ruchingarea 414, which is similar to ruching area 52. Front panel 402 alsopreferably includes opposite gather areas 416, which are similar togather areas 102. Along gather areas 416, the depicted front panel 402further includes tabs 418 of fabric material to shape the bust area. Theadditional lateral width provided by the tabs 418 of the front panel 402permits the front panel 402 to lay flat against the wearer, particularlyalong the bust area.

Additional advantages of the various embodiments of the invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the disclosureherein and the working examples below. It will be appreciated that thevarious embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutuallyexclusive unless otherwise indicated herein. For example, a featuredescribed or depicted in one embodiment may also be included in otherembodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the presentinvention encompasses a variety of combinations and/or integrations ofthe specific embodiments described herein.

As used herein, the phrase “and/or,” when used in a list of two or moreitems, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itselfor any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed.For example, if a composition is described as containing or excludingcomponents A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain or exclude Aalone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination;B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.

The present description also uses numerical ranges to quantify certainparameters relating to various embodiments of the invention. It shouldbe understood that when numerical ranges are provided, such ranges areto be construed as providing literal support for claim limitations thatonly recite the lower value of the range as well as claim limitationsthat only recite the upper value of the range. For example, a disclosednumerical range of about 10 to about 100 provides literal support for aclaim reciting “greater than about 10” (with no upper bounds) and aclaim reciting “less than about 100” (with no lower bounds).

The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used asillustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense ininterpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modificationsto the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readilymade by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe present invention.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine ofEquivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of thepresent invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departingfrom but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in thefollowing claims.

1. A noncompressive undergarment configured to be donned by a wearer and worn underneath a garment to restrict direct contact between the wearer and the garment, said undergarment comprising: front and back undergarment panels each presenting a top margin extending along a neck opening of the undergarment; and opposite undergarment sleeves each connected to the undergarment panels and at least partly forming respective shoulders of the undergarment, each of said sleeves being connected along the top margin of each panel along respective raglan seams that end at spaced apart locations along the neck opening so that the sleeve forms a raglan sleeve.
 2. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 1, said undergarment presenting opposite inner and outer garment surfaces, said panels and said sleeves including a fabric that forms the garment surfaces, with the fabric having an inner weave pattern associated with the inner garment surface and an outer weave pattern associated with the outer garment surface.
 3. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 2, said panels and said sleeves including a tricot fabric comprising a breathable, 4-way stretch fabric.
 4. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 3, said tricot fabric including a bamboo fabric material.
 5. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 2, said inner and outer garment surfaces being configured so that the outer garment surface comprises a relatively low-friction surface when compared to the inner garment surface.
 6. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 1, said front undergarment panel including a pleated ruching area with laterally extending folds.
 7. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 6, said top margin of the front undergarment panel including an upper neck margin that partly defines the neck opening, with the ruching area being located below the upper neck margin.
 8. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 7, said front undergarment panel having a bust area extending laterally below the upper neck margin and intersected by a circumferential bustline of the undergarment, said ruching area being centrally located in the bust area along a lateral direction.
 9. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 6, said undergarment presenting opposite inner and outer garment surfaces; and an elastic strip being attached to the inner garment surface of the front undergarment panel along an upright seam to form the ruching area, with folds on opposite sides of the upright seam.
 10. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 9, said elastic strip having a length dimension that ranges from about two inches to about four inches.
 11. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 1, said undergarment panels being attached to one another along side panel seams, each of said side panel seams forming a gather area with folds.
 12. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 11, said front undergarment panel including a pleated ruching area with laterally extending folds, said gather areas being positioned to vertically overlap the ruching area.
 13. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 1, said undergarment being devoid of any seams that attach one of the sleeves to the rest of the undergarment and extend about a circumference of said one of the sleeves.
 14. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 1, said raglan seams being sewn using a stretch thread, said raglan seams comprising a 1-thread lingerie seam formed by a serging machine.
 15. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 1, said front undergarment panel having overlapping sections that at least partly define the neck opening and present an overlapped area below the neck opening.
 16. A noncompressive undergarment configured to be donned by a wearer and worn underneath a garment to restrict direct contact between the wearer and the garment, said undergarment comprising: front and back undergarment panels each presenting a top margin extending along a neck opening of the undergarment, said undergarment presenting opposite inner and outer garment surfaces, said panels including a fabric that forms the garment surfaces, with the fabric having an inner weave pattern associated with the inner garment surface and an outer weave pattern associated with the outer garment surface.
 17. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 16, opposite undergarment sleeves each connected to the undergarment panels to cooperatively form respective shoulders of the undergarment.
 18. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 17, said undergarment being devoid of any seams that attach one of the sleeves to the rest of the undergarment and extend about a circumference of said one of the undergarment sleeves.
 19. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 16, said panels and said sleeves including a tricot fabric comprising a breathable, 4-way stretch fabric.
 20. The noncompressive undergarment as claimed in claim 16, said inner and outer garment surfaces being configured so that the outer garment surface comprises a relatively low-friction surface when compared to the inner garment surface. 